Designed To Sustain.

Architecture, Design - by Open Journal

Image by Derek Swalwell.

October 20th, 2021.

As ‘sustainability’ continues to become a definitive part of the vernacular it also becomes increasingly complex. One could be forgiven for the state of paralysis that results when hype, expectation and pressure mount around the topic. Simply keeping up with an awareness of new methodologies and technical innovation can be overwhelming, let alone putting those into practice. So, we have decided to take a deep breath and unravel things a little, starting right back at the beginning with the basic etymology of the word which holds a clear yet powerful message – to sustain.

At Neometro, we approach sustainability through the lens of balance and longevity. Distilling this message across our building methods, materials, design and community integration. We consider how each of these facets will continue to be sustained across 30, 40, 50 years and beyond understanding that each building is a legacy to its future residents and that they are its custodians.

9 Smith Street by Neometro™

According to the 2021 UN World Happiness Report, which has largely been informed by the significant affects of COVID-19, there are six factors supporting happiness – income, health, someone to count on, freedom, generosity, and trust. With four of the six entrenched in social connectedness our communities have become more important than ever reinforcing the importance of their sustainability. The report states that “many people have not toured the world, but many have rediscovered their neighbourhoods,” a sentiment that is woven into the philosophical fabric of urban design and and embraced Neometro. The way we live and the walls in which we carry out the patterns of everyday life are sustained by their relationship with their community which has become our worlds across the past 18 months.

From the outset, our design concepts evolve from aesthetic principles long proven to endure and rooted in the established principles of design – balance, composition, proportion, contrast, repetition and white space. The durability of our designs is achieved through a dedication to materials that wear in, not out, finding increased resonance with the surrounding environment as time goes by without compromising the conscious procurement of those materials and the structural robustness of the resulting built form. Tempered by vertical gardens, verdant expressions on private terraces, rooftop gardens and lush thresholds which delineate and active the public realm and encourage social connection with friends, family and fellow inhabitants, this strong material narrative achieves synergy with the urban context and remains visually pleasing across era’s.

At Neometro, we understand that beyond the depth of consideration that informs a homes interior flow and liveability, the way a building responds to and reflects its neighbourhood goes a long way in ensuring its sustainability. Forming a relationship with the community beyond, for the community within, is where bricks and mortar finds relevance and ignites pride in its occupants. “Our projects are not left on what we leave,” says Neometro Director Jeff Provan, their continued sustenance “is scripted in the manual of the building.”